Auto · County · Kentucky
Auto repair and car care businesses in Nelson County, KY
The auto repair and car care businesses in Nelson County, KY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 66 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #515 of 2,401 scored counties
#21 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 68
- 15 chain locations (22%)
- Official establishments
- 23
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $19.4M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,014 a household
- Spending per listing
- $285K
- 6% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 35.5
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 49,036
- +4.8% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Nelson County
The site report maps the auto repair and car care businesses on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Nelson County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
As of September 2026, map listings count 68 auto repair and car care businesses in Nelson County. Of those, 15 are chain locations, or 22%, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 35.5 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Households in Nelson County spend about $19.4M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,014 per household, 6% above the U.S. average. Spread across 68 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $285K per business, 6% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
Official counts show 23 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Nelson County in 2023. That is one for every 833 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts list 52 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $25K has gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Nelson County.
Population estimates put the population change in Nelson County from 2020 to 2025 at +4.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair and car care businesses, Nelson County has a Groundwork market score of 66 (upper middle): #515 of 2,401 scored counties and #21 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Nelson County compares
The same measures for Kentucky and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all vehicle maintenance and repairs by the auto repair and car care businesses counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Nelson County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 35.5 | 36.5 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $285K | $243K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 833 | 819 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +0.7% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,014 | $889 | $958 |
| Median household income | $69,562 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 66 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 19 → 23
- Employees, 2023
- 113
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 52Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6815 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 72The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $25K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Nelson County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Nelson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 49,036+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 19,150
- Median age
- 40.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 419 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 114
- Median household income
- $69,562+15.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,639
- Median home value
- $238,000
- Jobs located here
- 18,213
- Daytime population
- 41,912Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Nelson County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the auto repair and car care businesses on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Nelson County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardAuto repair and car care across Kentucky
Every Kentucky market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Kentucky for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Kentucky, with Nelson County marked.
Top counties in Kentucky
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Spencer County, KY | 95 | 17 | 23.3 | $563K | +7.7% | #2 of 2,401 |
| 2Oldham County, KY | 85 | 69 | 30.0 | $396K | +4.9% | #53 of 2,401 |
| 3Allen County, KY | 84 | 18 | 22.4 | $437K | +9.5% | #63 of 2,401 |
| 4Garrard County, KY | 82 | 18 | 26.9 | $366K | +7.3% | #95 of 2,401 |
| 5Edmonson County, KY | 78 | 9 | 17.7 | $550K | +5.0% | #152 of 2,401 |
| 6Green County, KY | 78 | 15 | 33.9 | $312K | +4.6% | #172 of 2,401 |
| 7Owen County, KY | 77 | 8 | 18.8 | $517K | +2.6% | #174 of 2,401 |
| 8Pendleton County, KY | 77 | 14 | 25.7 | $410K | +1.1% | #180 of 2,401 |
| 9Trigg County, KY | 77 | 15 | 24.8 | $384K | +3.1% | #183 of 2,401 |
| 10Lincoln County, KY | 73 | 25 | 25.8 | $362K | +4.6% | #271 of 2,401 |
| 21Nelson County, KY | 66 | 68 | 35.5 | $285K | +4.8% | #515 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Nelson County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
- Auto repair and car care66
- Auto repair shops71
- Collision repair and body shops
- Car washes and detailing55
- Tire shops64
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations63
- Insurance agencies59
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many auto repair and car care businesses are in Nelson County, KY?
Nelson County has 68 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 15 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 23 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023. Official counts also show 52 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Nelson County, KY spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $19.4M a year, or $1,014 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 68 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $285K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 19,150 households in Nelson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Nelson County, KY compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Nelson County has 35.5 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $285K, 6% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Nelson County would have about 72, against 68 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 833 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S.
How fast is Nelson County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Nelson County at 49,036 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 19,150 households. Median household income in Nelson County is $69,562, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 15.7%, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Nelson County scores 66 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #515 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Nelson County. It maps the auto repair and car care businesses on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for auto repair and car care businesses · All 56 business types in Nelson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Nelson County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Nelson County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.